Grapefruit Shandy

This light and refreshing GRAPEFRUIT SHANDY is bursting with sweet grapefruit flavor. It’s topped with ice cold beer, making it a shandy that’s perfect for summer sipping!

Now that summer is in full swing, I like to keep my beverages light and fruity. One thing that never gets old for me is a good shandy. If your new to the shandy, it’s basically a beer mixed with a soda or juice (or really, any non-alcoholic beverage). There are lots of pre-bottled shandys on the market these days, but I really enjoy making my own!

My go-to is usually a classic lemon shandy (here’s my favorite lemon shandy recipe!), but I also like making this Citrus Beer Cocktail too. I love how light and refreshing they are, it definitely makes it a bit more fun than your standard beer. A few weeks ago I was browsing the grocery store and saw these HUGE ruby red grapefruits and brought a few home without any real plans for them, then few days later a friend came buy with some grapefruit beer for with dinner. Immediately my mind went right to a shandy!

This grapefruit shandy is sweet with a hint of tartness – perfectly crisp and citrusy. I like using a wheat beer with my shandy but you can use any lighter beer that you prefer – sometimes I just use whatever I have on hand. One of the best things about homemade shandys versus store bought is the ability to amp up the flavor a little by adding some liquor. For these I use a citrus vodka since it always something I have, but a grapefruit vodka would be even more delicious!

I prefer to use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, but I have also used a bottled ruby red grapefruit juice too (I like the one from Trader Joe’s). If you decide to go the bottled juice route, make sure to taste the mixture before adding any simple syrup since most bottled juices are already sweetened.

This light and refreshing drink is bursting with sweet grapefruit flavor. It’s topped with ice cold beer, making it a shandy perfect for summer sipping! It's sweet with a hint of tartness – perfectly crisp and citrusy.

In a large glass combine fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and citrus vodka (if using). Stir together to combine. Slowly fill the remainder of the glass with cold beer. Stir gently to incorporate lemon mixture with the beer. Garnish with grapefruit wedge, if desired. Serve immediately.